A New Story
by Reader Castellan
Summary: Twenty years after the battle of Oblivion, the Five decided to have a reunion; and they want their children to be friends too. But things do not go as planned. What will happen when the younger generation comes together?
1. Chapter 1

**A New Story**

**So this is my first Power of Five story. This is set twenty years after Oblivion. This is, well, about the children of the Five. It is nothing serious and it is sort of pointless, but…**

**Let's continue now. Thanks to TheSixthGatekeeper for prompting me. I hope you like it.**

* * *

Helen and Ellen looked at their fathers. Helen glared at her father Scott who glared back just as well. Ellen looked at Jamie with adoring eyes. Jamie smiled at his daughter and placed his hand on her head.

"Look papa," Helen said, as if talking to a five year old, "I am not interested in coming to meet your friends right now. I have work to do."

Scott's eyes narrowed. "Well, _I_ am interested in taking you along right now because I have work to do."

"Papa, you cannot _make_ me."

"You are coming with me."

Helen's eyes sort of went blank, but only for a second. She smirked.

"You know what? I have inherited your powers. You can't control me, dad-dy!" Helen batted her eyes.

"Oh man! No! This girl is driving me mad!"

"Scott, calm down. We've heard Helen. What about you Ellen?"

Love dripped like honey from his words. Ellen smiled. "Of course I will dad!" she exclaimed, "I want to make many, many friends!"

Fourteen year old Helen glared at her cousin.

"You _look_ like me! You should act like me as well!" she growled. "Helen," Ellen said, "You were born one minute fifty seconds after me. _You_ look like _me_. And so if behaviour is concerned with looks, then you should be behaving like _me_."

Helen made a face and looked at her father. "Fine!" she said in exasperation, "But this better not be boring alright?"

Scott folded his arms across his chest. "What will you do if it is boring?"

Helen smirked again. "I will tell mom what you think about her. I will also tell her who spoilt her dress by spilling that tea on it."

Ellen gasped. "Uncle…you dropped the tea on the dress! After that aunty became all crazy and she and mother broke into a fight!" she said and then in an accusing tone continued, "_You_ caused it!"

"Scott, what do you think of Myra?" Jamie asked in surprise.

Scott turned to his daughter with a guilty glance. His demeanour changed in a second.

"My dearest Helen! You are such a…_good…innocent…LOVELY_ child!" The words 'Good', 'Innocent' and 'LOVELY' seemed to take all of his self-control to utter without sounding sarcastic.

"So it won't be boring, right pa-pa?"

"It won't," Jamie said, "Our friends are one of a kind. And their children are also as weird-sorry-I mean as _good_ as you both."

"That would be fun," Helen muttered and then looked at her father, "You packed your bags?"

"No."

Helen gave him a look that suggested that he was half mad. "So who will do the packing?"

"I will do my packing. You do yours," Scott replied.

Helen made a disgusted face. "Dad!" she said, "We are a family! And in a family there is nothing like 'my packing' or 'your packing'. It's just packing!"

"So you pack both of our stuff," Scott replied with a smirk. It was soon wiped off his face.

"Me? Packing? I think you are forgetting that the last time I had packed-"

"You had packed me in the big bag!" Ellen screamed and hugged her uncle.

"Exactly! This time I might pack somebody else. And anyway, such a responsible job should be done by a responsible person like yourself. I am pretty useless in all of this."

"In the past fourteen years when exactly have you been useful?" Scott asked in mock politeness.

"Many times. I very useful when it comes to threatening or fighting or extracting money from mom. Oh yes! I simply forgot! I have to persuade mom into making delicious food for the way. I'm very persuasive dad! I'll get the work done!" Helen said and then ran off.

Scott beat his head against the wall thrice. "Scott, control," Jamie said.

"Yes," Scott said and stopped himself from beating his head again.

"I wish she were like a normal girl. Having a tomboy as your only kid is a little…"

"Dangerous," Jamie completed. "Yeah," Scott nodded his head in agreement.

"Don't worry uncle. I'll pack everything," Ellen said. Scott smiled at his niece and embraced her. "Nah. You go out and play," he said, "We'll manage."

Ellen nodded and then ran out.

"Sometimes I get very confused," Jamie said after a while. "What do you mean?"

"Between Ellen and Helen. They are cousins yet they look like identical twins like you and me, Scott. Their age difference is also only of one minute fifty seconds."

This was true. Both the girls had deep dark eyes like their fathers, black hair till the shoulders and dark skin of their mothers.

"You know the reason Jamie," Scott said.

"Of course I do. We both are twins, and their mothers are also twins!"

"Their mothers' mothers are also twins," Scott added.

"And their mothers' fathers are also twins!" Jamie said as if it was unbelievable.

"And their mothers' mothers' mothers were also twins!"

"And their mothers' fathers' are also twins."

"And-"

"No Jamie. Stop it at that. The whole family is made up of identical twins. That's the main thing," Scott said. He was holding his head tightly.

"You are right. We'll die of confusion if we continue."

Scott looked at Jamie all of a sudden.

"How did they inherit our powers?"

"Don't ask _how_ they inherited our powers, ask _why_ they inherited our powers."

"Point to be noted."

The twins just looked at each other.

Helen ran into the room. "You're still here? You don't have _any_ work to do? I even persuaded mom to cook such a big list!" She untied the paper rope from around her waist. It was the list. It was longer than the heights of all the three of them combined.

Scott sighed. _What_ had he done to deserve this?

Helen shook her head, cast one look at them and ran away, muttering about lazy adults.

"AAHH!" Scott cried out angrily. "Control, Scott, control!" Jamie said. Scott nodded and the two brothers headed up the stairs to do their packing.

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**I don't think you are glad of telling me to write a story now. Anyway, the characters are AU but there is a reason for that. This story is set twenty years after the battle of Oblivion and everyone is having a happy family (though I am not sure whether the Five are themselves happy or no). I am giving its genre as humour but if you don't find it funny, please tell me. I don't want my stories to have wrong genres. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A New Story**

**Disclaimer: I forgot to put the disclaimer in the last chapter but…I don't own Power of Five or the any of its characters, except for their children.**

**So here is the second chapter. Thank you readersally and TheSixthGatekeeper for reviewing the previous chapter. I am sorry that the last chapter was senseless and exaggerated. I am trying hard, really I am. I'm sorry if the story doesn't turn out to be good but I really hope you enjoy it.**

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Matt Freeman looked out of the window at the garden.

There was nothing special there; he was just remembering old times, painful old times. There was pain but there was happiness too. He looked down at the photograph that he was holding. The stupid tears flowed down though he did not want them to. From the photograph a messy fair haired handsome man with kind intelligent eyes was smiling at him. In the bottom part of the photo somebody had written _'Go and kick some Chaos' crap! Hail Team Matt!'_

Matt ran a finger down Richard Cole's smiling face. Though the photo was quite still Matt was sure that his dead guardian was looking at him, his smile seemed too real. The photo was taken thirty years ago, before the time when they had jumped ten years in future. He remembered the time when Richard had written it. It had been just after they had met in Oblivion when Richard had given him encouraging speeches and told him that he could beat Chaos. Matt did beat Chaos but he paid a heavy price.

Richard Cole had died twenty years ago but Matt's pain did not cease even after such a long time. Scarlett was a loving wife and his children were just great but there was something empty inside him, a space that nobody could fill.

As Matt wiped his tears he felt a hand on his shoulders. He jumped at the touch but then sighed when he saw that it was only Pedro.

"What's wrong, Matteo?" Pedro asked. "Nothing," Matt said and then hugged him.

Pedro took him in a tight embrace and then said, "It is very sad Matteo but you will have to move forward. Right now, your children need you."

"You are right," Matt said. He released himself from the hug and pocketed the photograph.

"Anyway," he said after a while, "Where is Ricardo?"

"Why did you have to bring _him_ up?!" Pedro groaned. "Why? He was such a lovely child when I saw him last."

"It has been years since then. Now he wants to become a poet?"

"So that is good, right?"

"Yes," Pedro said sarcastically, "That is very good. You just wait."

At that moment a thirteen year old boy ran into the room. He was olive skinned with soft brown innocent eyes, short hair and a very skinny appearance. "Hello Ricardo," Matt said, "Pedro, you are starving him!"

"This boy is a camel. He eats at least a ton per day and stores away the food in his head so that everyone thinks that I am starving him."

"Hello Uncle Matteo," Ricardo said, "Do you use every day some deo?"

"Deo?" Matt asked.

"Deodorant," Pedro explained.

"Why is he asking whether I use deodorant?"

"You just said that he will do well as a poet. Well, this was a poem."

"WHAT?!" Matt exclaimed, his jaw dropped. He looked from Pedro to his son Ricardo.

"How was it?" Ricardo asked, "Do you like being a git?"

"Git?" Matt turned to Pedro.

"He's a _talented_ poet! He used 'git' for rhyming. Try to understand Matteo," Pedro replied and stifled a laugh at Matt's expression.

Ricardo looked at Matt eagerly. Matt opened his mouth then closed then opened it again. But words refused to come out.

"N-Nice kid," he managed at last. Pedro was grinning at Matt's misfortune. Matt scowled at him and then turned to Ricardo with a beaming smile.

"But, you know Ricardo? You should write these down and on your dad's birthday you should recite them to him. I think that would be the best gift he could ask for."

Pedro's grin was wiped off his face. The full horror of his situation dawned on him.

"Rilly?" Ricardo said, "You sure he won't call me silly?"

"Rilly?" Matt turned to Pedro.

"Really," Pedro replied.

"Oh," Matt said then turned to Ricardo again. "Really. He would be overjoyed. I mean the beauty of the words you use…it's _amazing_! I mean 'How was it? Do you like being a git?' It is superb Ricky! One day you'll bring glory to your father's name!"

"Wow!" Ricardo said, "You are so nice! I love eating rice!" He hugged the man and then ran out, muttering different 'poems' under his breath.

"Matthew Freeman, one day I will kill you," Pedro said.

"Pedro, one day you will not kill me."

Scarlett stormed in at that moment and grabbed Pedro's collar.

"Scarly let him go! He's not your husband!" Matt said. Immediately he was regretting it.

"What do you mean Matt? I grab you by your collar?!" Scarlett said and glared at him. Matt gulped. "I am not saying anything Scarly. _You_ are saying that you grab my collar. And treating your husband in this way…"

"Mr Husband," Scarlett said and cracked her knuckles, "I treat you in a most _respectful_ way, more than you deserve. I do so much for you! You better not comment!" She clenched her fist at him. Matt's eyes widened and he backed away. He came back and grabbed her hand. Then he placed her hand around Pedro's shirt collar and backed away again.

"Continue," he said and weakly smiled at her.

Scarlett turned to Pedro. "Your son," she said angrily, "Is soon going to be killed by me."

"Did he recite some of his poems?" Pedro asked fearfully, his eyes crossing over to look at her hand on his collar.

Scarlett released him with an exasperated sigh. "Well he has been doing that ever since he got here, especially because _everything_ that he says is a poem. But now Scott and Jamie are coming with their children. And your Ricardo is preparing 'welcome poems' for them. That is not the only thing. He is also preparing questions to test the IQ level of their children! And above everything he's making _me_ listen to them!"

Angry tears had appeared in Scarlett's eyes.

"I understand your pain Scarly," Matt said, "But Ricardo is a child. And he evidently loves his Aunty Scarlett. Please bear with him for his childish feelings."

Scarlett frowned at him. Before she could say anything Ricardo entered again.

"Aunty Scarlett come with me!" he said, "We're busy here, can't you see?"

Matt clapped once but then stopped as he got a death glare from his wife.

Ricardo grabbed Scarlett's hand and dragged her away.

"Good riddance!" Matt said, "That woman is making me mad."

"Matt, try to understand! Surviving Ricardo's poems are as hard as battling Voldemort! Whatever Scarlett did was because of the mental stress that the boy has put her into."

"Actually Pedro, it's impossible for a man to understand women. It's very difficult to understand what they want, what they feel, what their mood is! Why can't they be frank like us?"

"That's because women have to carry more burden and responsibility, Matteo. They don't want anything, they just want to be loved and appreciated. Once you love them and care for them, and know how to show affection, you don't need them to tell you anything! You will be able to see everything right in their eyes," Pedro replied.

Matt nodded. "You are right," he said at last, "I think I should act like a friend around Scarlett, not some annoying husband."

"Exactly," Pedro said.

After a while he asked, "When are the twins coming?"

"Tomorrow," Matt replied, "I really want to see them. It's been so long…"

"Yeah…it's been years now. What do you think their children are like?"

Matt looked at the door through which Ricardo had left. He turned to Pedro and replied, "Interesting specimen."

Pedro laughed and the two friends walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them.

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**I know…not the best. This is my first chapter story and I just don't know what to do. I hope you like my OCs. I know they are all very weird and stupid but I always thought that the children of Gatekeepers would be a little silly and weird. Please read and review and tell me if any part is unclear in some way. Same goes for the previous chapter apart from the part of the twins. Even I don't know who is whose twin. So, thank you for reading and again, please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A New Story**

**Ok I've got many people to thank. Thank you TheSixthGatekeeper, readersally, CharmedGatekeeper and Guest for your reviews. They are really appreciated. I hope you like this chapter though this one is really pointless. But then is the whole story. Let's continue now.**

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Helen was not excited to meet her dad's friends.

The family was heading to Matt and Scarlett's house in Jamie's car. Helen had again tried to talk her dad into _not_ taking her along but Scott was Scott and he simply wouldn't listen.

Helen was also angry with Ellen. The other girl had so easily given in. why, she seemed excited! Helen couldn't imagine what her dad's friends would be like but she was sure that they would be pretty boring and stubborn.

When the car stopped in front of a garden in which a two storey white painted house was situated, she couldn't help but feel that this place might not be so boring. "Come out now children," Jamie said.

Ellen grinned at her cousin happily. Helen scowled at her and got out.

Soft cool breeze hit her face. In the distance she could see a field. A few boys were playing football there. Helen sighed. She would give _anything_ to be there and play football too. That was one of the few things she really loved doing and she was feeling itchy to go and join the boys there.

Two men and a woman came out to meet them. One of the men was a tall, handsome guy with dark hair and dazzling blue eyes. The other man was an innocent, good looking guy with olive skin and had an aura that suggested that this person always had control over himself. The woman was partly Chinese partly European and very pretty and her smile was very warming.

"Scott!" the olive skinned man said and embraced Helen's dad. Scott returned the hug and said, "It's good to see you Pedro."

Helen started nodding her without any reason. Pedro…okay, she had met them before. The tall man would be Matt and the woman would be Scarlett. Helen was only seven when she had last seen them. They had been nice to her, especially Uncle Matt who always carried her on his shoulder.

"Helen! Ellen!" Matt greeted and hugged the children. Scarlett joined in.

"You girls have surely grown!" she exclaimed as if it was the eighth wonder of the world. "And now you seriously look like twins," Matt observed. He next embraced Jamie while Scarlett hugged Scott.

When Matt and Scott faced each other there was a grim silence. The girls looked at each other questioningly. A smile broke on Matt's face. "Hello Scott," he said. Scott grinned back and the two men grasped hands.

"Hey where are the kids?" Jamie asked.

"Inside," Pedro replied. He and Matt picked up their luggage and said, "Will you be standing there all day?"

"You can if you want to," Matt said, "Just don't forget using sunscreen."

Jamie laughed and they went inside.

However a thirteen year old boy was standing at the doorway.

"Hello," he said, "I love marshmallow."

Matt stifled a laugh and said, "This is Pedro's son, Ricardo. Ricardo, this is Uncle Jamie, Uncle Scott, Helen and Ellen."

Ricardo waved at them but did not step aside.

"He wants to…welcome you," Scarlett said slowly as if she was scared of what was going to happen.

"That's so sweet," Ellen said.

Matt leaned in and whispered and whispered in Ricardo's ear, "Start your welcome poems now. And do not stop until told, okay?"

Ricardo nodded enthusiastically.

Matt stepped back again and grinned.

"Welcome, welcome my friends! Wearing jeans are in trends!

"To see you we are glad! Yesterday Aunty Scarlett hit my dad!

"Your arrival was eagerly awaited! By Aunty Scarlett Uncle Matt is hated!

"Your arrival brings in new light! Aunty and Uncle everyday fight!

"Your presence is a wonderful gift! My dad is impossible to lift!

"Your charming smiles warmed my heart! I like shopping in the mart!"

"Stop! Stop! STOP!" Matt, Scarlett and Pedro yelled together.

Ricardo shut up and looked at the guests.

Jamie was staring at him as if he was an alien. Scott was smirking at the other gatekeepers' misfortune. Ellen was laughing her head off and Helen decided to change her mind. This place was _definitely _not boring! She grinned at Ricardo and broke into an applause, followed by Ellen.

"Wonderful!" she said. Ricardo grinned at her.

"Thank you very mich! Once dad fell in the ditch!"

"Mich?" Scott asked, turning to Pedro.

"He means much," he replied and then added with venom in his voice, "Dear Ricardo will go to _any_ extent to get his poems to rhyme. Even if he has to alter all the words."

"Nice to meet you!" Helen said, "I think we'll be great friends!"

"Greatest friends we will be," Ricardo replied, "These people are very boring, you see?"

Now Helen smelled something nasty. Why was this boy talking in poems? Was he still joking around or…?

At last Ricardo let them enter the house. "Hey, where are your kids?" Jamie asked Matt.

Matt nodded and then whistled.

"You call them by whistling?" Scott asked in wonder. "Yeah. They'll know it is urgent to get here."

A door opened and two boys came in.

One looked just like Matt. Dark hair, dazzling blue eyes, tall well built. He was around fourteen. The other was only seven and looked much like Scarlett. The boys smiled warmly.

"The older one is Richard and the younger one is Aidan," Scarlett said.

"Hello," they said. Aidan was really a very cute child. Helen smiled at him. After everyone had introduced themselves and told each other how happy they were to see each other, they settled down.

"Hey papa," Ellen asked, "Till when are we staying here?"

"Five days," Jamie replied.

"To the garden follow me, happy-happy we will be!"

Ellen stared at him in wonderment.

"Hey, it's done now. You have welcomed us. We loved it. Now you can talk normally," Helen said.

Matt was shaking violently now. Pedro glared at him.

Scarlett spoke up, "Uh, the thing is Helen, dear, that Ricardo only talks in poems."

"He aspire to be a great poet," Matt added.

Helen felt that somebody had pulled the very earth from under her feet.

This language…twenty four hours? _How_ could she possibly survive?!

"Let's go out," Richard said.

Ricardo nodded vigorously. "I'll ask questions, but don't take tension. When dad will grow old he'll get pension."

With that he grabbed Ellen's hand and pulled her outside.

Helen gulped, said a quick prayer and followed the others out with Richard and Aidan.

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**So that was the third chapter. I hope you liked the welcome poems. I know this was a lame chapter but…**

**I am dividing the future chapters into five different stories about the different adventure they'll have in their five day visit. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Constructive criticism is very much welcome. Please read and review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A New Story**

**Thank you TheSixthGatekeeper, readersally and Zintfall for your very encouraging reviews. I am glad you liked the previous chapter. As for the names of Matt's sons…I'm glad you liked it, readersally, that it is Richard and Aidan. Something I always thought would have happened if the Five would have been alive and Richard would have died (even though I don't like killing him; he's my favourite). I hope you all like this chapter as well.**

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Richard was glad to be out in the garden with the other children.

He liked Ricardo and actually loved listening to his poems, though he would never admit it openly because then his mom will call him mad and his dad will be laughing his head off and Uncle Pedro will be slamming his head against the wall. No, he preferred to keep silent.

"So how are you finding this place?" he asked Ellen. "Lovely!" she replied enthusiastically, "I love being in the countryside. I really don't like the city."

Aidan grabbed Helen's hand and grinned at her innocently. Rather hesitatingly, she smiled back and lifted him up lovingly. She was surprised though. Aidan was very light.

"So what do you do here for fun?" she asked Richard.

"Listen to Ricardo's poems."

They laughed. Ricardo, however, did not find this amusing. "My poems are great!" he protested, "Richard, you are putting on weight."

Richard looked down at his tummy. Sure, he had a slight potbelly.

"He-he-he!" he said, blushing.

Ellen laughed again and then said, "No, seriously, what do you do for fun?"

"We play football," Aidan replied. Helen grinned at him and set him down again.

"And," Aidan continued, "We also tell mom that dad was talking about her. Then she runs after dad with a broom or sometimes even the vacuum cleaner. One day she even locked daddy in the bathroom!"

The children burst out laughing at that. Ellen tried to imagine a man like her Uncle Matt, tall, strong, brave, to be locked up in the bathroom by his wife. New tears appeared in her eyes as she rolled over laughing. Ricardo laughed musically and Helen just smirked.

"We also urge Ricardo to recite his poems," Richard said, "The 'consequences' are damn funny."

"Consequences?" Ellen asked after stopping her laughter.

"Yes, yes!" Aidan said, "You have heard his poems. You know 'Uncle Scarlett hit my dad'?"

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

"_Uncle Scarlett_?" Ellen asked.

"Oh I am sorry. I mean 'Aunty Scarlett hit Uncle Matt! In the summer everyone should wear a hat!' Well that drives mom mad and then she scares the life out of dad!"

"A poem that is!" Ricardo exclaimed suddenly, "At me Aunty Scarlett always hissssssss!"

"Poem?" Helen asked. Everyone turned to him, perplexed.

"'_Well that drives mom mad! And then she scares the life out of dad!'_" Ricardo said.

Aidan slapped his forehead. Ellen looked at Ricardo unbelievingly and Helen's face was expressionless. Richard laughed. It was a free light laughter that seemed to be echoing, though it really wasn't.

Helen turned to him. "Richard, is it allowed to kill here?" she asked. "Why?"

"Just answer me."

"No, though my mom is allowed to do that rather freely. Now tell me, why?"

"I'll request Aunty Scarlett to kill Ricardo. Otherwise, all of us would be found in the graveyard."

"Cool!" Ellen said, "Then we'll have a grave of our own!"

Helen wanted to hit her on the head but she controlled herself.

Ricardo, however, was not pleased with all this.

"You think you are so smart?" he said, "I love doing wheel-cart!"

"I am smart enough for you!" Helen retorted.

"Then to my IQ question give me answer!" Ricardo challenged, "A disease very dangerous is cancer!"

"I think I'll get brain cancer when I hear his poems," Aidan whispered in Ellen's ears. She giggled.

"Fine. Shoot your 'IQ questions'!" Helen replied angrily.

Ricardo smirked as if he knew something that Helen didn't.

"Let's begin then. A lion lives in a den.

"What is called a hybrid of donkey and monkey? Will it be donmon or will it be keykey?"

The earth seemed to shake below Helen's feet. Even Richard thought that Ricardo had gone mad.

"Tell me, tell me!" Ricardo taunted, "You don't have the answer, see!"

Helen was going red in the face. She took off her shoe and threw it at him. He dodged it effortlessly.

"Of that I have experience!" Ricardo said wickedly, "Every car should have some ground clearance."

"What!" everyone apart from himself and Ellen exclaimed.

Ricardo nodded up and down, up and down, up and down.

Richard grabbed his head and steadied him. "Control," He said.

"Hey!" Ellen exclaimed, "I think it will be keykey!"

Everyone turned to her.

"Correct!" Ricardo cheered, "My homework my dad does every day inspect!"

"Really?!" Ellen cried. Ricardo nodded. The two grabbed hands and started dancing in circles. Helen grabbed her head tightly.

"_Now_ do I have the permission to kill?" she asked in an exasperated voice. "Nah!" Richard said and joined the other three in their dancing.

"All of them are mad," Aidan said. "Exactly," Helen replied, looking at the three dancing madly, maybe like gorillas.

"I want to play," Aidan muttered.

"Look, the field is clear now. Let's go and play catch-catch there," Helen said. Aidan liked the idea and rushed inside to get the ball.

"STOP DANCING!" Helen cried. The children stopped abruptly, expressionless, their eyes blank. "I should learn how to control my powers," Helen muttered. After a few seconds they returned to normal.

"Helen control!" Ellen said. Helen smiled to herself. The words reminded her of the times when Uncle Jamie told her papa to control his anger.

"You idiot! Fool dimwit boy! Come inside you rascal! Get in you shameless being! Hurry up or I'll smack you Ricardo!" Pedro yelled as he came into the balcony. Ricardo gulped and went inside.

"Annoying pest!" Pedro said, "I'd been calling him nicely for ten minutes but he did not reply. People obey you only when they are called names! Children you also get inside."

With that he went in.

"I'm waiting for Aidan," Helen said, "You guys go in."

"Wait Helen," Ellen said, "Do you remember what Uncle Pedro said right now? People obey you only when they are called names! Let me call Aidan."

"No Ellen, don't-!"

But the damage was done. Ellen gathered all her strength and yelled for Aidan, "YOU IDIOT! FOOL DIMWIT BOY! COME OUTSIDE YOU RASCAL! GET OUT YOU SHAMELESS BEING! HURRY UP OR I'LL SMACK YOU AIDAN!"

Helen and Richard looked at her in disbelief. "What the hell did you do?!" Richard cried.

Aidan came out angrily.

"Look, he has come!" Ellen said happily. Richard wanted to strangle her.

"Why did you do that?!" Aidan fumed angrily.

Ellen sensed his anger. She smiled at him awkwardly.

"WHY DID YOU CALL ME ALL OF THAT?!" Aidan yelled.

"I-I-I was joking!" Ellen managed to say.

Aidan threw the ball at her angrily. It hit her nose.

"Ouch!" she cried.

"I don't want to play with you all! GOOD BYE!" Aidan yelled and stormed into the house.

Helen and Richard glared at her.

"What?!" she asked.

"Nothing. Just admiring your smartness," Richard replied scornfully.

"Hey it's Uncle Pedro's fault! He gave us bad lessons!" Ellen argued.

The other two continued staring at her.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I know you think I am wrong. But seriously, I didn't know what I was doing!" she sobbed and ran inside.

"Great start to our friendship," Richard muttered. "Exactly," Helen agreed. They looked at each other and sighed together.

"Let's go in. we have to set some things right…" Richard said.

With that the two children went in too.

Their first meeting had certainly not ended well, not well at all.

* * *

**So that was the fourth chapter. You might be wondering why I added this one but it was important to show the drift between the children for the future chapters. This might not be what you wanted but in the next chapter I'll give you the story of the first day of their arrival. Please read and review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A New Story**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Power of Five. I only own the children of the Five.**

**Thank you TheSixthGatekeeper and readersally for your reviews on the previous chapter. They mean a lot to me, seriously. And I am glad you liked the IQ question, readersally. It just popped into my head. I have one more coming, just like the one from the previous chapter. I am just changing the animals. And I am glad you like Ricardo's poems, TheSixthGatekeeper. Let us continue now, before everyone falls asleep.**

* * *

**_Day 1_**

The next morning was quite bright. Ricardo opened his eyes when sunlight fell on his eyes, coming through the windows. Ricardo sat up in bed and yawned.

He had not forgotten the look on Aidan's face the day before. The boy was so angry that he was flying around the whole house, throwing things here and there. Yeah, Aidan could fly. Ricardo wasn't sure how. Uncle Matt couldn't fly then how come Aidan could? That did not matter. All that mattered was that Aidan could fly.

When Ricardo went down to brush his teeth there was a commotion.

"Helen, why are you holding my toothbrush?" Richard asked.

"I forgot to bring mine," Helen replied.

"So?"

"So I'll use yours. Don't worry, I'll clean it well."

Richard looked at her incredulously.

"_How_ can you use my toothbrush?!" he cried.

"It's simple. I'll put the paste on it, bring it to my teeth and brush them! I've brushed my teeth before Richard."

"But that is mine. What about germs? Anyway that is _my_ brush."

Helen sighed. "Richard," she said, "We're a massive happy family! There is no 'my brush' or 'your brush' in a family. Everything belongs to everyone! And anyway I don't have mine. So I'll have to borrow it from other family members, right? And this is not borrowing! I'm sure you don't borrow from your family members!"

"No Helen. Please," Richard requested, "I'll get you a new brush."

"Why waste money?!" Helen asked him.

"It is not wasting. That brush-that brush will be a-a-a little _gift_ from me. Please just wait for a few minutes?!"

Helen's shoulders sagged.

"You win," she said, "I'll wait for you to come with the new brush. But make it fast, please?"

"Sure!" Richard said and ran out.

Helen burst out laughing. Ellen, who had been watching the whole episode from the side-lines, asked her, "What happened?"

"I got him to buy me the brush! Haha!"

"You planned it?!" Ellen asked in surprise, "That's why you showed him the brush and pretended?!"

"I wouldn't mind using his brush at all," Helen retorted, "We are a family after all."

Ellen looked a little confused at this. "What?" she asked blankly.

Ricardo stared at the twins. He knew they were smart. No, Helen was smart. Ellen was slow otherwise she would not have had said all that to Aidan.

After ten minutes Richard was there, panting. He held out the toothbrush.

"Here-Helen-take your-toothbrush!" he panted.

"Oh…that's so sweet of you!" Helen said and grinned. She took the brush from her.

"Thank you soooo much!"

Two hours later.

The children were in the garden. Aidan had forgotten about his various insults. Ellen had apologized and the two had become best buddies.

"We're going to Alphalin Park," Richard said.

"When?" Ellen asked.

"After two hours. A bus will come to pick us. It will take three hours to get there."

"Wow! That will be fun!" Helen and Aidan exclaimed together. They looked at each other and laughed.

After two hours all of them were ready with a ball and lunch and a camera each.

The blue coloured bus came right at time.

The children got on the bus. Ricardo saw that there were around ten children already on the bus. They were mostly aging from ten to fifteen. The five took the last seats and settled down.

When the bus set out Ricardo was excited. The other children had started singing aloud. What they were singing, he did not know. But he had remained rather quiet now.

"My poems nobody does like," he thought, "I want to have my very own bike."

Despite all the excitement he felt sad. He felt unwanted, unloved. It was not his fault that he liked talking in poems. People have different accents. Why can't people have different styles of speaking? Was it a crime?

He didn't know when he started crying but now when he had started, his tears would not stop. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He looked up and saw Richard.

"Ricardo, why are you so quiet?" he asked.

Ricardo did not reply. If he spoke up, another poem would come out.

"You know Ricardo, you are the very heart of our massive family. Without you and your poetry, we are incomplete. We need your poetry Ricardo, we need it."

"How did you know that…? My dad is very fat."

"We are brothers Ricardo. Not by blood, no. But by feelings. By love. By friendship. And that bond is stronger than any bond in the world."

Ricardo's face lit up instantly.

"Really?" he exclaimed, "Dad was eyed-bleary!"

"Bleary-eyed!" Richard corrected him.

Ricardo shrugged and joined in the singing.

The bus came to a stop. Everyone rushed to get out of the bus.

Alphalin Park was very beautiful. It was very green with beautiful red, yellow, blue and pink flowers. There were many benches under the cooling shade of the trees. Since it was a Tuesday there was no one there apart from the children who came by the bus.

The five ran up ahead and started playing with the ball. Aidan missed the catch nearly every time. "Oh why can't I fly right now!" he grumbled. Richard broke apart from them and sat down on a bench, eating wafers, closing his eyes.

He kept on munching when suddenly everything became quiet. He found this weird but did not stop eating. Things could wait.

"Hey you!"

Richard opened his eyes.

A man in black clothes and thick beard was standing over him, a pistol in his hand.

"Hello," Richard said and went back to his munching. "Hey stand up!" the man ordered. Richard replied, "Yes just a minute. Let me finish my packet of chips then we can proceed with our work."

The man glared at him incredulously. Richard looked at him questioningly. Then, as if realisation dawned on him, he offered the wafers to the man.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you. Have some, don't be shy!"

Ricardo slapped his forehead. He had thought that at least Richard would be _normal_ but offering potato chips to a criminal was a little…too much.

The man angrily knocked the packet from Richard's hands. "Hey!" the boy yelled furiously.

"Stand up! Now!"

Richard stood up muttering, "You should not throw away food…"

The man pushed him into the crowds of the various children that was present there.

"Give me all your valuables," the other man demanded. He was also dressed in black but did not have a beard.

The children were hostages under these two men.

"Valuables?" Aidan asked then thought about it, "Ricardo's poems!"

"I won't give away my poems!" Ricardo protested, "Every plant has phloems!"

"How are phloem cells concerned with our situation?" Ellen asked. "We are in a park and so there are phloems since there are many trees," Ricardo explained, "Aunty Scarlett was complaining about her aching knees."

"Anyway we can't give away his poems," Helen interjected, "The men asked us for valuables not rubbish."

Ricardo made a face at that and turned away.

"I know," Richard said. He produced two cans of diet coke from his bag.

"Chill buddy! Chill!" he said and handed the cans to the men.

"Thanks," the bearded man said, "We were tired."

They opened the cans and drank all the cold drink in a very short time. They threw away the cans, which landed spectacularly in the trash can.

The children broke into applause.

"Yeah! That was a piece of cake!" the bearded man said.

"You are coming with us now!" the other man said.

"Wait up!" Helen said. Everyone looked at her.

"I have a deal," she said, "You answer one of the questions by my friend Ricardo and all of us will come with you. But if you can't answer then you will leave quietly. If you try to do anything nasty, all the fifteen children present here will attack you. Do you accept the deal?"

The men looked at each other and had a low conversation. Then the non-bearded man came up to them.

"Fine!" he said, "But if we do answer the question, we get you to come with us."

"And if you can't answer his question and try to break the bond, all fifteen of us will attack you," Helen added.

"Agreed."

The man shook hands with Helen and then she stepped back.

She took Ricardo aside and said, "Ricky, shoot your worst-sorry, I mean the _best_ IQ question at him. Confuse him, alright?"

Ricardo nodded at her and then stepped forward.

"Ready, are you?" he said, "A cat says mewww!"

The men were astounded at this statement. Astounded won't be the right word. They were taken aback.

The man without the beard regained his composure.

"Yes, we are ready."

"Good. Ricardo loves food.

"What is known as the hybrid between a giraffe and monkey?

"Is it miraffe or is it gonkey?"

"Miraffe! Gonkey!" the bearded man cried. He was already pretty slow but now the world seemed to spin around him. Colourful stars surrounded him. He fell down, unconscious.

Helen and Ellen gasped together. They had certainly _not _expected a man to faint because of Ricardo's questions and poetry. Richard and Aidan burst out laughing.

The other man looked at his companion on the ground. He was shocked. The colour from his face had simply drained away.

He looked fearfully at Ricardo.

"Reply! Reply! After college for a job you should always apply."

The other man was scared. He grabbed his ears and apologized, then lifted his partner and ran away.

"Wow Ricardo! You're awesome!" Ellen exclaimed.

"Brilliant!" Aidan and Helen cheered.

"See? What did I tell you Ricky?" Richard said.

Ricardo grinned and hugged him.

The other children present there also cheered for him. Some of them even lifted him on their shoulders and ran around the whole park.

After he had returned Richard addressed all of them, "You get back to playing. I'll get back to my wafers."

With that the children got back to whatever they were doing. Ricardo was not feeling down anymore, he was proud of his talent. And he was proud of Richard. Offering diet coke to your enemy is certainly very brave.

The laughter of the children filled the park and at the end of the day, everyone was happy.

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**Chapter five is up! So yes, Ricardo is certainly a dangerous person to have around you. I wish I knew someone like that. I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter. Please read and review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A New Story**

**Disclaimer: The Power of Five series or any of its characters do not belong to me. However I do own the children of the Five.**

**Thanks for your reviews readersally, TheSixthGatekeeper, Zintfall and nightcall16. I am happy you liked the part where that man fainted. Yes, Ricardo's poems certainly do have other uses. Let us continue with the chapter now.**

* * *

**_Day 1(2nd half)_**

Matt had rolled down laughing.

He had found it pretty astounding and fantastic that the children had driven out two criminals from the park.

"From where do you find these names, Ricardo? Miraffe? Gonkey? Haha!" he said and broke into another laughter.

The rest of the Five found it funny too. Well everyone, apart from Pedro.

"Look how dangerous your poems are!" he exclaimed after listening to the story, "Such a big man fainted! It's time you start speaking like an ordinary person."

"Pedro, if one more time you tell Ricardo to give up on poetry I'll make sure that even you can't heal yourself," Scott spoke up, defending Ricardo. Pedro shook his head indignantly and then quietened down.

"By the way Uncle Matt," Ellen said, "Even Richard was no less. He offered diet cokes to the men!"

"And they took it!" Aidan added incredulously.

"Of course they would take it. They would have been thirsty," Matt retorted.

"How did you know that this would happen?" Jamie asked Helen.

"No, I didn't know, Uncle Jamie. I just thought that they won't be able to answer the questions he'll ask because firstly the questions are very weird. And secondly, even Ricardo didn't have the answers! I went in his mind and it was blank, apart from some poems about Uncle Matt and Aunty Scarlett," Helen replied. Uncle Matt and Aunty Scarlett sat bolt upright. Ricardo was backing away.

"But the poems were good," Helen added, "One of them was _'If you want to see love, look at Uncle and Aunty as they are like dove.' _And another was _'Uncle Matt and Aunty Scar, should go together and buy a new car.'_ All of them were like that. Sweet child, Ricardo. He's very sweet."

Scarlett and Matt didn't look convinced but Ricardo again started nodding his head so swiftly that it was a blur. Richard grabbed it and steadied it.

"Control," he muttered.

Ricardo grinned.

Matt shrugged at this new information and everyone went back to whatever they were doing.

**_Day 2_**

Aidan did not like being indoors.

So when he woke up and swung himself off his bed and went to clean himself and his teeth. However he stopped when he was about to brush. He had to know that his other 'family members' were not using his toothbrush. They looked dry and so he concluded that indeed nobody had touched the brush.

After he was ready he went into the kitchen to drink some milk. Aidan liked drinking milk; he could drink four glasses without stopping.

When he went out he saw Ellen sitting on the bench. It was quite early, around a quarter to seven. Why was Ellen up so early?

"Hi Ellen," Aidan said and sat down next to her.

"Hello," she replied.

"Are you enjoying here?" Aidan asked. He still stumbled over his words like a small child he was but the matured expression on his face always seemed to stun the person he was facing.

"Yes I am enjoying here," Ellen replied, "It's weird what had happened when we had first met, you know."

Aidan remembered the various compliments that Ellen had shouted at him. He laughed out.

"Yeah! That certainly was weird!"

"I don't know why I said all that. Uncle Pedro called Ricardo that way and-"

"It's okay!" Aidan said firmly.

Ellen nodded then they both sat in silence.

"Don't you think that it's a little too hot these days?" Ellen asked.

"It is actually. Let's make it a little windy," Aidan said. He blinked his eyes and suddenly cool breeze started to blow across the area. Ellen's hair blew in the wind and a smile adorned her lips.

"Wow Aidan! You're so strong!"

Aidan beamed at her. "Yeah I am. Do you know, I can make it snow as well! I can create storms and I can yell at them to run away! And you know what, they _do _run away! Storms are weird things. They scare children at my school. But I am not scared of storms. Because I am a brave boy! Right, Ellen?"

Ellen stood up with a laugh and lifted him lovingly like an older sister. "Of course Aidan! You are the bravest boy in the whole world!"

"It's amazing that you can control the weather _and_ fly," Ellen said.

"Yeah, it's weird. Not the part about controlling weather. I find it strange that I can fly and that too so easily," Aidan replied.

"What about Richard?"

"He can do what dad can. You know, telekilesis."

Ellen laughed. "Aidan, it's telekinesis!" she corrected.

"Oh!" Aidan exclaimed, "Telekinesis! Yeah Richard has tele-ki-netic powers. He cannot control the weather very well though. He can bring about minor changes."

Aidan laughed at his mistake again and Ellen gently set him down.

Ellen nodded at him. He said, "But you and Helen have also got amazing powers. What is it like? Reading other people's thoughts, making them do whatever you want, instilling wrong memories in other people's minds! Persuading your mothers to cook anything for you! Convincing your papas to do your homework! Wish my papa would do my homework!"

"Well it is sometimes nice to have powers," Ellen replied, "But it is only now that I enjoy it. Earlier when I couldn't control it, it was like a curse. I was so young…I didn't want to know the ill effects of being an adult, the fight between husbands and wives, the trouble going through the teacher's mind.

"But mom and papa were always very nice to me. Even Uncle Scott and Aunty Myra. You see, Helen could control her powers practically since she was a toddler whereas I was older than you when I could finally control myself.

"You see Aidan, I am the weaker child. I am slow mentally and physically. I learnt to control my powers way after all of you. I wouldn't even survive if it wasn't for papa, mom, Uncle, Aunty. Especially papa. He loved me regardless of the fact that I am not as good as Helen."

"Oh you are the best among us! Way better than Helen is! It doesn't matter that she could control her powers since birth. If that is the case then you are clearly stronger. You learnt to do that by practice and this ability will remain with you forever. That's what mom told me when I couldn't control my flying. And moms are always right. So she is also right. And since I am using her logic, you are really the best!" Aidan said trying to cheer her up. Ellen grinned at him and hugged him lovingly.

"If you say so then I will also agree," she said, "By the way, Ricardo should be a healer then, right?"

Aidan released himself from her embrace and scoffed.

"Ricardo? Healer? My dear Ellen, Ricardo is good enough to have people wishing healers to heal them."

"His poetry is not that bad," Ellen said.

"Poetry? It isn't poetry, it's garbage."

"Uh, yesterday that same garbage cum poetry saved our lives."

Aidan sighed, "You are right."

"I'll just go in and see if the other are up," Ellen said.

"Okay. I'll take a walk till then," Aidan said. He looked at the watch. "It's a quarter to eight now. I'll walk for half an hour. Go Ellen."

Ellen smiled at him and went inside.

Aidan started his brisk walk in the garden. The winds that he had summoned were blowing against his face and he was really enjoying it.

Suddenly he stopped in his tracks. He could feel some movements behind the wall. He stood still listening. Slowly he turned around.

Two average heighted men in denim jeans and black T's were standing there with pistols in their hands.

"This is Matthew and Scarlett Freeman's son," one of them said in a high pitched voice.

"Come with us boy," the other spoke. His voice was so hoarse that Aidan could understand what he was saying.

A sudden, heavy downpour followed this statement. The men were surprised, there was not a single cloud in the sky. Regardless of that they moved towards the boy. The hoarse voiced one jumped at him and took him down. Aidan was so tiny that they easily cornered him and tied his arms behind him.

Aidan opened his mouth to shout but one of the men put a gag over his mouth.

They were going away now. At that very moment the door opened.

Ellen stepped out and was greeted with the most horrible sight she had witnessed in her short life of fourteen years.

"Stop there!" she said. One of the men fired at her but it missed by inches. The men started running down the road. A car was parked a few yards away. Ellen started running after them as fast as she could.

"Stop!" she said. The high pitched voiced man bundled Aidan into the car.

"_STOP RIGHT THERE!_"

The man with the hoarse voice stopped and turned towards her. Ellen ran past him towards the car. The other man knew that it was useless to wait for his friend so he started up the engine and sped away, with Aidan.

"NO Aidan!" Ellen cried. She was literally crying now. If only she had been faster. If only she had been stronger…

She raced back to the other man who was breaking away from his spell. She grabbed him and twisted him around.

"You are coming with me!"

Two hours later…

"He refuses to say anything."

Richard, Helen, Scarlett, Ellen and Ricardo were getting frustrated now. The man had not said a word about his partner in crime or where he was now. The children were also angry that only Aunty Scarlett was home apart from them. The dads and uncles had all left for some work the last night. It was not helping that Aunty Scarlett was getting angry now. The children had tried everything they could. Helen was getting itchy to use her powers but Scarlett stopped her. Despite everything Scarlett was _not_ worried about Aidan. She was just angry that how somebody had dared to kidnap _her _son. That was not acceptable.

She walked into the room where Richard and the man were.

"Come on tell me now! Where is my brother?!" Richard yelled angrily and slammed his fist on the table. "I won't," the man replied. "Why? WHY WON'T YOU TELL ME?!"

The man was shivering with fright. Richard had already threatened him by saying that he would break each of his bones. The man had not said anything to that but Richard's anger had terrified him to the core. He held his ground only because he was sure that his friends would come to rescue him.

Scarlett stormed over to them. The man gulped. Scarlett Adams Freeman was one of those women about whom people were taught to beware of. She was so scary that a shiver ran down his spine.

"You drive your car yourself?" she asked politely.

"Yeah."

"Ok. Now, just imagine that you want to get to your car but you can't, however hard you try."

"You…you will imprison me here?" the man asked hesitantly.

"Oh no," Scarlett scoffed, "I'm a law abiding person and I know it is wrong to take away somebody's liberty. No, I had a different idea. How about I break your legs? Nobody's liberty would be taken that way."

"You're joking."

"I'm not."

Scarlett had been holding something behind her back. Now she brought it forward.

The man screamed at the sight of the hockey stick. "Oh don't make noise. Your screams remind me of Matt when I use this stick on him. And I don't want to be reminded about Matt right now. So for that, I will also break your hands."

The man was obviously scared very much but he did not say anything about his companion. Scarlett sighed and raised her hockey stick.

"Aunty wait! Do not open misery's gate! If you attack him he might become so-and-so late!" Ricardo interjected. Scarlett lowered her stick in annoyance but then she stopped half way, her expression changing. It now seemed as if she had a new idea.

"Ricky," she said, "You are the only one who did not interrogate him."

"No Aunty Scarlett," Helen said, "If Ricardo interrogates him he will end up getting admitted in hospital. And we will never know where Aidan is. Just let me use my powers."

"Nobody will use their powers," Scarlett said firmly, "These powers have brought more troubles than you all can imagine."

Ricardo went inside the room before anyone could say anything and locked the door behind him.

"Tell me tell me where is your friend!? For Uncle Matt Aunty Scarlett is a fiend!"

The man looked at him as if he was mad but did not say anything.

"You want to break away. But you can't do that any day.

"Where is your friend, tell me now. A dog says bow-bow!

"Open your mouth quickly, Uncle Matt will hit you with a sickly!

"Security here is very tight. You can use all your might!

"But when Aunty Scarlett will go mad. So mad to grab again the collar of my dad.

"You will know your mistake my pal. Because Aunty Scarlett is a fierce gal!

"If you want to protect your friend from Aidan my brother and yourself from his dearest mother

"Then spit it out! Spit it out! In the river I once saw a tout!

"If you don't then right here you will be groomed. By Aunty Scarlett, just like Uncle Matt, you will be broomed."

The man stared at him with wide eyes. Ricardo did not like it. He was losing his patience now. Ricardo was already running out of fresh poetry and it was frustrating him and on top of that this man was not saying a word.

"N-no! I will k-k-keep silent!" the man stuttered.

Ricardo smiled at him then punched him on the nose.

"WHERE IS AIDAN!? WHERE ARE YOUR COMPANIONS?! FOR SUCH A LONG TIME I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO ASK YOU NICELY BUT YOU JUST DON'T GET IT, DO YOU? ANSWER ME NOW! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOUR YEARS MY TALENT IS NOT WORKING! DO YOU KNOW HOW FRUSTRATING THAT IS?! TELL ME NOW! TELL ME NOW BEFORE I BECOME AUNTY SCARLETT AND YOU BECOME UNCLE MATT! YOU DON'T KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES IF THAT HAPPENS! TELL ME NOW! YOU DISRESPECT MY POEMS BY BEING QUIET! TELL-ME-NOW!"

The earth seemed to shake. The walls were vibrating with an intense force.

Outside the room everyone had heard everything clearly. The colour had drained from their faces at the display of this intense anger. Helen gulped.

"Help me! Help me!" the man cried. Richard and Scarlett ran in and held Ricardo back who was going to punch the man again.

"LEAVE ME ALONE BOTH OF YOU! THIS MAN DISRESPECTED MY TALENT! I'LL TEACH HIM A LESSON HE WILL NEVER FORGET! YOU BETTER TELL ME NOW!"

"Ten miles to the north of here there is a small building! Your friend is there! Now let me GOO!" the man wailed.

Ricardo calmed down in a second.

"Are you serious? In face pack Aunty Scarlett looks hideous."

"Yes. Yes. YES!" the man cried.

Ricardo grinned. "See, I get the work done. After all interrogation is a lot of fun!"

With that the boy strode off out of the room. The others decided to take the man with them to the place. Scarlett and Richard helped him to stand up after bandaging his nose and then led him out to the car.

Inside Helen and Ellen were alone. "That was unexpected," Helen declared. "Who would have thought that in his anger Ricardo would forget about his habit of poetry?" Ellen wondered. "I prefer him with the poems," Helen decided.

Ellen nodded and said, "Come. We have to find Aidan."

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**Whew! A long chapter, I think. Longer than my other chapters anyway. I had not updated for so long that this was necessary. I know some of it must be dull but anyway… I was myself very surprised that Ricardo could talk like a human. Please read and review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A New Story**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Power of Five series or any of its characters. I only own the plot and the children.**

**Thank you readersally, nightcall16 and Guest for your reviews on the last chapter. I am happy that you liked it.**

* * *

**_Day 2_**

Aidan looked around the room in interest.

It had been twenty minutes since he had been locked up in here. The room was dark and empty, it even had a damp smell. But Aidan was enjoying it. And he was thinking how he would be called mad by his senior students if they found out and that made him enjoy it even more.

Aidan remembered being kidnapped. Well if this was kidnapping then it was fun. He had already made some strange requests and people had even considered them. For example, he had been crying for a pizza for fifteen minutes and just five minutes ago they had given him the pizza, and it had been so delicious that it did not last even a minute.

Aidan had also been asking constantly for water. If they would ignore them then he would cry, bang the door and howl like a dog till they gave in. His kidnappers were already wondering why they had kidnapped him.

He heard one of them say outside his door, "It is a punishment for our sins. We're going to be damned."

"We have caused misery to many. Maybe it is our time…"

Aidan sniggered. This was fun.

And it had all happened in twenty minutes!

Aidan went to the door and howled, "I want to use the bathroom!"

"Stay quiet!" the man outside yelled.

Aidan smirked again and then literally started howling, "I want to go! I _need_ to go! Open the door! OPEN THE DOOR! I need to go! You can't be so bad to me! Let me go! LET ME USE THE BATHROOM!"

There was no reply to this. So Aidan yelled and yelled and banged and banged. The man kept on scolding him but the child's shrill voice was so deafening that nothing else could be heard over the din.

At last Aidan was so angry that he wanted to use his powers and bring up a huge storm or something. But he controlled himself and instead said, "If you do not let me out I will do my work right here! I'll count till ten! Ready? Let's go!"

He took a deep breath and started, "Ten-nine-eight-seven-six-five-four-three-two-"

The door opened and the guard lifted him hurriedly and rushed towards the bathroom. Aidan quickly took in his surroundings.

It was a long messy corridor with many rooms. There looked like ordinary flats. The paint was peeling off, the doors were dusty. Aidan could see a door at the end. He thought of running away but rejected the idea. No, the kidnappers will themselves set me free, he thought.

After he had finished his work in the bathroom, he boldly turned to the guard.

"I want to meet your loss," he said

The man looked at him in repulsion. "What do you mean?" he growled.

"I'm sorry. I mean I want to meet your boss."

"Just come with me quietly."

"No! I want to meet your boss! _I_ am the kidnapped party! I can help you get more money! I WANT TO MEET YOUR BOSS!" And with that Aidan started crying again after sitting down stubbornly on the floor.

The man was tempted to hit the boy but he couldn't. His boss had ordered that there should not be a single scratch on the boy. Maybe he could disobey him for this once? No, this troublesome boy was not worth the trouble.

Aidan continued howling and screaming and cursing and crying and shouting and kicking and whatever else he could think of.

"Stop it now! I will take you to the boss!" the man yelled at him. Aidan stopped immediately.

"You could have said that a long time back! I wouldn't have to do all this then. You wasted a lot of time…" Aidan said.

The man raised his hand to strike but stopped half way. He curled his raised palm into a fist and withdrew it.

"Come with me!" he said. Aidan nodded enthusiastically and then jumped on top of the man, who had certainly not expected this. The boy turned around and after much screaming and struggle he was sitting on the man's back.

"Go on my elephant!" he said.

The man was obviously hurt by this. He was a little fat with a slight potbelly but that did not give this kid the right to call him 'elephant'. Aidan tightened his legs. The man roared in anger and started moving forward.

William glared at the child in front of him.

He was already wondering why he had ordered to have him kidnapped. Yes, Matthew and Scarlett Freeman were rich; Scarlett had a huge sports showroom and Matt owned a large cotton mill and two sugar mills. Yeah, enough money. But was it really worth _this_?

Aidan's guard had told William about everything that the boy was doing. William had found this unbelievable and had called the man a fool.

Now he thought that _he _was a fool.

"I have come to the knowledge that you have kidnapped me to get ransom from my parents," Aidan said.

"You have got the right knowledge, kid."

"I am a human child, thank you."

The man narrowed his eyes. The kid was trying to be smart.

"Listen, sir," Aidan said in a business like way, "Call up my dad quickly and ask him to pay you double the amount that you are planning to ask for. Just tell him that you have got his son Aidan and if he doesn't pay you then you will kill me or whatever it is you planned to say."

The man was repulsed now. Children were not supposed to be like this! But this child was really…

"Come on call him up!" Aidan urged, "I'll give you his phone number."

He gave William Matt's number. The icy glare that Aidan gave him sent shudders down his spine. He produced his mobile and dialled the number.

"Hello," Matt said.

"Matthew Freeman, I've kidnapped your son, Aidan!"

"What?!" Matt exclaimed in a concerned voice.

"Yes. Listen to him," William said and placed the mobile near Aidan's mouth. "Hello dad!" he said casually.

William snatched the mobile back and said, "Now you know that I am telling the truth. I want five hundred thousand pounds for ransom. Arrange the money by tomorrow evening or else-"

"Are you alright? Is he bothering you?" Matt asked.

"What the hell are you-?"

"Look, I'm really glad that you are there with him, my friend. But believe me, I do not have five hundred thousand pounds right now. However, if you agree to keep him with you forever then I will pay you the amount in five instalments. What do you say to the deal?"

The statement had been a blow to William. He ended the call angrily and threw his phone on the ground.

"You did not make a profit but you certainly incurred a loss," Aidan said.

William let his face fall in his hands.

"Why?! Why did I kidnap _you!?_" he cried.

"That's what I wanted to ask you. Why did you kidnap me? You could have just told me to come with you. I accept all invitations."

The man opened his drawer and took out a sheaf of bank notes.

"Here take this," he said, "And _never_ return here. You can go. Bye!"

Aidan looked at him as if he was insane. Then he grinned very widely, showing missing spaces for broken teeth.

"I don't want to go. You people are very nice!"

William grinned, but the grin looked as if somebody had slapped him and told him to grin. "I'll come to meet you, okay Aidan? Bye."

Aidan sighed then reached out and grabbed William's hand and shook it.

"Nice knowing you," he said and left.

"Never. Never will I kidnap a child again. Especially if it is the child of the Freemans!" William yelled and let his face fall in his hands again.

When Scarlett and the children had crossed the field they saw a boy running towards them. Scarlett stopped the car and ran up to him. She pulled him in a loving embrace and Aidan hugged her back.

"My honey!" she said and pulled him closer. Aidan felt light then. He felt happy, very happy. It had been a year since mom had hugged him so dearly; she was always busy with the showroom. His eyes were bleak as he said, "Mom…!"

The other children smiled at the two. It was nice to see the mother and the son to be united again.

That night…

Everyone was home now. Scarlett had chided Matt for not taking the call seriously. Scott grinned and replied, "Matt had taken the call seriously, Scar. That's why he offered money to William to keep the boy with him!"

Scarlett looked at Matt in exasperation. Matt smiled at her.

"Scarly," he said, "He's both of our son. He has the power of two of the Five. How can an ordinary kidnapper do him any harm? I knew he would return."

"So much trust, dad?" Richard asked in a playful way.

But Matt replied seriously, "More trust than I have on myself, Richard. Especially for you."

Richard was puzzled by this statement. The other children also looked confused. But the Five knew. There was silence for a long moment. Scarlett put her arm around Matt's shoulder and he smiled back at her, pulling her into a hug.

"You know what?" Helen said abruptly, "Ricardo doesn't have eyes."

Pedro grinned and asked, "Why are you saying that Helen?"

"Because this inspiring poet of modern times is always saying that Aunty Scarlett and Uncle Matt do not get along. Something like, _'Aunty Scarlett on Uncle Matt, used a big cricket bat!'_ it can't be possible for two reasons. First, there is no cricket bat in the house. And second, the two are very good together. And they are good people. I am sure Aunty Scarlett will never _hit_ Uncle Matt with a bat!"

All the people started laughing, everyone apart from Ricardo but he too remained silent and did not say anything for his defence.

"No actually she does hit me," Matt said, "But nothing very serious. Just a few kicks when she is having a nightmare and occasional grabbing of collar."

Scarlett looked at him with a fake fury. He smiled at her widely and she smiled back.

"But I get my revenge. I steal her jewellery and her accessories and cosmetics and all those things and hide them way. She finds them though and then we yell and argue and scream. That's funny, actually," he said.

"Yes, because after all the arguing we realise that we have no reason to argue. And then everything goes back to normal."

"Though she is very moody," Matt said firmly, "It's very easy to provoke her."

"Matt is always acting like a child," Scarlett grumbled.

"All of us do. None of us had a childhood," Jamie said.

Silence followed this statement. A long silence.

"Papa," Ellen said, "I want to hear your story."

The Five looked at their children in surprise.

"Yes, we want to know. What had happened?" Helen pressed on.

"Come on!" Richard said, "We want to know what happened!"

"We can handle it!" Aidan said, "We can now handle anything because of Ricardo's poems!"

Everyone laughed out apart from Ricardo, who pouted.

The children kept on yelling and begging their parents and uncles and aunt to tell them their story.

"Fine!" Jamie said at last. Everyone quietened down.

"I believe that you have the right to know," Jamie continued.

"Definitely," Scott agreed, "We need to tell them about our own story. The story of the end of the world."

The children gasped.

"You're joking, right papa?" Helen asked as if he really was joking. Scott grinned at her, "Sure. I don't have any work in the world."

It was Helen's turn to pout right now. Scott smirked.

"So, we do this tonight?" Pedro asked.

"Yes," Jamie said. He looked at the children and continued.

"Tonight you will hear the historic tale of the Power of Five."

* * *

**So that was it. Just one message: NEVER kidnap anybody from the Freeman family. Please read and review. Thank you for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A New Story**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Power of Five series. I only own this plot and the children.**

**Thank you readersally for reviewing the previous chapter. I think this story is going nowhere but I have to finish it so I will.**

* * *

**_Day 3_**

Richard had been shocked by the story.

He had never expected that their parents would have gone through all that. Uncle Scott had gone through merciless torture when he was as old as Richard. However Scott did not elaborate on it. It had been so painful that Richard could not stop himself from crying. Aidan had been sobbing in his mother's arms the whole time. Ricardo's eyes were bleak as tears threatened to fall. Ellen had curled up next to her uncle and was crying. Scott had tried to comfort her but she would not stop. Only Helen did not say anything but Richard knew why. She was angry, angry that somebody had dared do that to _her_ father. Her fists were clenched, her lips were slightly quivering but she did not cry. She remained silent.

Richard had been heart broken when he learnt of his own father's plight. He felt empty then, not daring to say a word because he knew he would break down if he opened his mouth.

And of course he knew now why his name was Richard.

Richard Cole had been his dad's guardian, brother and best friend. The journalist had killed himself after stabbing Matt with the sacrificial tumi. Matt had survived, though none of the Gatekeepers were ready to tell them how. But that was the thing. Richard was somewhat of a replacement of the original Richard. He did not feel sad because of this; he felt honoured. But he had been left speechless when Matt had said, "You are just like him, Richie."

Richard felt that his father expected something from him and he knew that he would do anything to meet that expectation even though Matt had not said a word.

The morning was bright and sunny. Too sunny. Richard rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked at his wrist watch. Half past nine. He didn't believe that he had actually woken up so early after staying up till three in the morning.

He went down after taking a bath. The house was deserted. Everyone was asleep. No, somebody was there in the garden.

Richard went out and saw Helen in a pair of black jeans and blue shirt with a football. She was kicking it and balancing it on her knees.

"Morning, Helen," he said. Helen stopped and grinned at him.

"Hello Richie," she said.

The two started walking in the garden. Helen stopped. "Yesterday we were so engrossed in the story that I simply forgot!" she said, "It's Uncle Pedro's birthday!"

"Really?" Richard asked.

"Yes. What should we gift to him?"

"An unpoetic Ricardo."

The two laughed.

"No, I am serious. What should we do?"

Richard thought for a moment before replying, "I have an idea. Want to hear?"

"Sure."

Richard leant in and whispered something in Helen's ears. Her eyes brightened up mischievously.

"Our idea is great!"

"Our idea?"

Helen looked at him patiently.

"I told you before Richard, we are a family. There is no my idea or your idea in a family. There is just an idea; it belongs to everyone! You see?"

"I see," Richard replied, "So you execute the plan. It doesn't matter who executes it because we are a family and there is no I'll execute it or you will execute it in a family! It just _has _to be executed!"

Helen grinned at him.

"Okay. You just see."

When Pedro woke up it was half past ten. He yawned and stretched and got up. He went to the mirror but the mirror was not there.

Instead of the mirror there was a Spanish to English dictionary there.

"What the hell!" he exclaimed as if picked up the book. He opened it and a note fell out of it.

He opened the note and read it.

"_'Dear Pedro, your English is again going down the drain. Please use this dictionary to get back on line because I really cannot understand the Spanish posts that you put on your Facebook page. Your dearest friend, Matt.'_"

Pedro was angry now. Well, not angry but a little annoyed. When he really needed the dictionary, Matt used to hide it in Scott's room. And Scott would put it back in Pedro's room and say that Pedro did not know how to manage his things. Pedro was never hurt by this but sometimes it would be just too much. Especially when Matt would start telling him in Spanish that he had not taken his dictionary. That was a solid proof that he had in fact taken the book.

Pedro smiled at the memory. It was because though Pedro would yell and fight and scream for the dictionary, he could not actually read it.

When Pedro went down, however what he saw made him dizzy.

Instead of plates dictionaries were kept on the table. They were stuck on walls and from the ceiling. He did not know why all this was happening. Scarlett was in the kitchen, having a light chat with Ricardo. He was sitting on the floor, holding her legs and looking up at her like a five year old. Scarlett knelt down and smiled at him.

"Aunty Scarlett please bake, a dictionary shaped cake!" he said.

"Why should it be dictionary shaped?"

"So that everyone gets inspired for more knowledge," Ricardo replied, "Do you know, dad failed in the first year of college!"

Pedro cursed under his breath. Why was Ricardo like this? _Why?_

Scarlet laughed and said, "Sure Ricky. Anything for my Ricardo." With that she stroked his cheek lovingly and then the two stood up. Ricardo hugged Scarlett and turned to run but stopped.

"Good morning dad!" he greeted, "Why do you always look like a man gone mad?"

Pedro said plainly, "My face is like that. I was born with a characteristic madness. Same is with your mother. That's why you are like the king of all mad guys."

"Come on dad! Don't be so sad! Everyone here is mad! So be glad!"

Pedro nodded and looked at Scarlett. "Scar, why have you people put dictionaries everywhere?"

"So that the children can improve their diction."

Pedro thought that they had gone mad and went to find the Tyler twins.

Jamie and Scott were discussing something eagerly.

He stopped to listen.

"I am glad I didn't bring Myra with me," Scott said.

"Why? Myra is a good girl," Jamie replied.

"Look, Jamie, you are a kid. Myra's sister, your wife, Esther is a good girl. But you know why Helen is like a demon? It's because of Myra. She is so scary that-"

Jamie laughed at this. "You and Matt are always competing, aren't you?" he said.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked.

"That you both are always competing at everything. Who's the stronger one, who plays better football, whose personality is better, who would win in a debate, who can survive their wives longer, who-"

"Wait," Scott said, "What was the last thing you said?"

"Who."

"No, before that."

"Who would win in a debate?"

Scott understood what was going on.

"Stop toying with me Jamie," he said.

Jamie grinned at his brother and slapped his arm.

"Hello," Pedro said.

"Good morning," the twins replied.

"Pedro is worried about the dictionaries," Scott said.

"How do you- oh right."

The three men started talking about the old times of the hacienda. Scott still pulled Pedro's leg every other minute.

Suddenly Helen came running up to them.

"Dad. I want to play!" she said.

"So go and play."

"With you!"

With that Helen clung on to her father who narrowed his eyes at her.

"What exactly do you want?" he asked suspiciously.

"Your company! Come on papa!"

Scott stood up after a gruff 'fine'. Helen smiled at him and said, "In this game you are a young father and I am your five year old kid. You have to take care of me, okay?"

"Okay, so you want to do action replay," Scott said.

Helen said, "We'll start now."

With that she sat down on the hard soil and started crying. "Papa! Papa! I want to see your mouth!"

"No Johnny! Sorry, I mean no Helen."

Helen stopped her acting and said in a serious tone, "Why? Does it smell so bad?"

After that she resumed her acting again and jumped on top of Scott.

"Papa, Uncle Pedro is very bad. He doesn't give me ice creams. He did so only once," she complained in the voice of a five year old.

Scott turned to Pedro.

"What is this Pedro?" he said, "Why did you give her the ice cream? Bad children like herself should not be given anything like that."

Helen pouted and bit Scott's hand.

"AAHH!" he cried.

Helen again gave up her game and said, "What kind of a father are you? Your five year old kid will bite you so you will drop him? Weird people."

With that she went away.

Scott walked up to a tree, away from the two men who were laughing and started banging his head against the wall. He banged so much that he felt dizzy and fell on the floor and cried out, "HELEN IS ONLY A NIGHTMARE! WHAT DID I DO? WHAT ARE MY SINS!?"

And with that he fainted

In the evening everyone met Pedro in the living hall.

When he entered everyone jumped on his and rubbed cake on his shocked face and said, "HAPPY BIRTH DAY!"

Of course, Pedro had forgotten his birthday. He laughed and hugged everyone dearly. Ricardo licked the cake off his face till it looked as clean as a freshly washed plate.

"Yuck!" Scott exclaimed in disgust. Everyone had backed away after witnessing this act of hygiene.

Pedro grinned at Ricardo and then hugged him.

"So this was all a plan?"

"Yeah," Helen said, "We wrote the note as Uncle Matt and used dictionaries for decoration. They were not real dictionaries though and they had all been rented."

Pedro smiled but suddenly he remembered.

It was his birthday.

And Matt had told Ricardo that…no!

Pedro released the boy who smirked at him slyly.

"Please cut the cake, but before that read the message that we make."

Pedro found this strange. No special birthday poems?

He walked to where the dictionary shaped cake was and was taken aback.

So _this _was the message!

_'Dear dad, though you are a little mad_

_'You are still the best in the world. That was a lie that I just hurled._

_'You are the world's best fother. Though you are still not as good as mother._

_'You are really special. You just need a facial._

_'This cake is not the one which we threw at you, your heart as pure as the purest hue._

_'My heart very gently you poke. That is NOT a joke._

_'A very happy birthday! Aunty Scarlett did not hit Uncle Matt even once today!_

_'May you live a long life, with my beloved mother, who is your wife.'_

Pedro smile at Ricardo and hugged him. "Fother, eh? Wow Ricardo you still change words." Ricardo laughed and handed him a file, a file of his collection of best poems.

"This is what I all a smart guy," Richard said, "He complemented as well as joked about Uncle Pedro at the same time."

"And he did not even realise," Ellen said.

"Of course he didn't. He's too happy that he doesn't have to hear the poems," Aidan said.

"He doesn't know what is in store for him," Helen replied.

The party went really very well. After everything was done, Ellen called for attention.

"Uncle Pedro, on the occasion of your birthday we have arranged a program," she said.

Pedro smiled, "Really? What is it?"

"Well, we are going to have a poetry night!" Richard declared. The grins and smiles were wiped off the faces of the Five.

Pedro turned to the other Gatekeepers.

"Do not forget me if my birthday becomes my death day."

* * *

**Ah! Chapter 8 is over. I hope you liked it though nothing really was happening in this one. Please read and review. Thank you for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A New Story**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Power of Five series. I only own the children.**

**Thank you readersally, elma and lolk for your review on the previous chapter. I am really glad you liked the chapter.**

* * *

**_Day 4_**

Ellen's head was aching in the morning.

The poetry night had lasted till midnight, for continuous four hours. Everyone was feeling dizzy and weak. Even Ricardo had given up because he was too tired to speak. And Ellen had lost consciousness by the time it had ended. Some of the poems were too much for her.

_"Long time ago on a sandy beach,_

_"Lived a boy with an insect who leach._

_"They decided to start a new company._

_"It was not liked by many._

_"The boy had a new idea_

_"He took the insect to sidea._

_"They decided to sit on a hunger strike_

_"And announced it on the mike._

_"When the strike began the people prayed_

_"And alms they paid._

_"The boy and the insect got wealthy and wealthy_

_"So they decided to have a life healthy-healthy._

_"They used the money to buy food_

_"And start a company so good_

_"That people started thinking they were wrong to oppose this team_

_"And now they are so rich that in a day they eat ten ice cream."_

This particular piece of poetry had stunned Ellen. It had been one of the nicest ones to which people had actually applauded. But how could an insect and a boy start a company? That's what Ellen had been wondering the whole night. Could she start a company with an insect? She would have to be careful to choose a big insect that has leaching properties and maybe then…

No, she was going mad. She was really going mad.

The day was windy today. She liked windy days, they were cool and yet not cold.

When she went down she saw that her father and Uncle Scott were sitting on the sofa, having a conversation.

"Yesterday night's party was awesome," Jamie said.

"Yeah. But poor Ellen. She fainted…" Scott muttered.

"I don't understand why. I think that she was feeling sleepy. She just fell asleep at the wrong time and everyone thought that she had fainted."

"Could be."

"Oh Scott, we have to leave tomorrow," Jamie said sadly.

"I just don't want to leave. We are enjoying so much. I love the children. Richard, Aidan, Ricardo…I'm going to miss them all."

"I can't believe that you are saying this."

"I know. I used to be so reserved and quite indifferent, I think. However now, when I look at the children, I feel happy. I feel free. I want them to be friends forever."

"Me too, Scott. The children look so happy when they are together. When Aidan stands and looks at the others as if they are crazy, when Richard goes around making light hearted jokes, when Helen is giving her family logic, when Ricardo recites his poems and when Ellen tries to understand their meaning…it delights the heart."

"I think that Helen will now want to stay here."

At this Scott wore a grim expression.

"You know Jamie, I was thinking about putting her in a boarding school."

Ellen's eyes widened at this. Helen? In boarding school?

"Bad idea, Scott," Jamie said, "Helen is not used to being alone. And you have already tried boarding school. She fell so ill there that we had to bring her back. Anyway, she will certainly refuse; she wouldn't want to leave Ellen."

"I'll use my powers on her. She will not refuse."

"Scott, this is wrong," Jamie said firmly.

"I'm not sending her for forever, Jamie," Scott replied, "I'm sending her for only a year. It will instil discipline in the unruly girl and she will learn how to behave with her elders."

"But Scott-"

"No Jamie. Don't tell me otherwise. Helen will go to boarding school."

Ellen wiped away her tears and ran back up the stairs. She shook Helen awake.

"What's the deal?" Helen asked. She saw Ellen crying and her eyes widened.

"What happened Ellen? Why are you crying?!" she asked anxiously and grabbed her shoulders.

Ellen hugged her and sobbed, "H-Helen, Uncle Scott- Uncle Scott is-is-is-"

"What about him, Ellen?" she asked a little louder.

"He's-he's going to-to send you-you to boarding school!"

With that Ellen started wailing. Helen did not say anything, her eyes were moist as she fought back tears.

_"Ellen, calm down."_

Ellen stopped. Helen was talking to her telepathically. That happened very rarely and only if one of them thought that it was really needed.

_"Ellen, it's ok. Calm down."_

_"How can I calm down, Helen? My only sister is going to be snatched away from me! I will be left friendless and alone! How will I live without you?"_

_"It's papa's wish. I can't do anything about that. I know he doesn't like me much. He doesn't want me to live with him."_

_"No Helen. He wants to instil discipline and right values in you. That's what he said to papa."_

_"Yeah, he's right. I'm the worst child in the world and I know it. I'll go Ellen. And I will really miss you."_

_"But Helen-"_

With that Helen gently released herself from Ellen's embrace and went down to take bath.

After breakfast all the children gathered in the garden, all except Helen who had gone to her room to pack her bag to leave the next day. The children and adults alike were surprised at this. Helen was doing her own work? Unbelievable!

"Why have you called us here Ellen?" Richard asked.

"Is something wrong?" Aidan asked.

"Are you alright, Ellen?" Ricardo asked, "Where is Helen?"

"This meeting concerns our Helen," Ellen replied and told them the whole problem.

"Why is Uncle Scott doing this? Helen is not rude or something! She just likes joking around!" Richard said heatedly.

"Exactly. I think Uncle Scott has gone mad," Aidan replied, "He won't get a better child anywhere in the world. So what if she likes to talk in a little different way? She's still a perfect daughter."

"With you I agree," Ricardo said, "Any ideas you got, Riree?"

"Riree?" Richard asked.

"He means Richie," Ellen explained.

Richard said, "Oh. Well let me think."

With that he sat down on the bench and started thinking. His eyes brightened up after a few minutes.

"Ricky," he said, "Last night you narrated a story. A poem about a boy and an insect. How did they start the company, again?"

"They sat on a hunger strike and announced that on a mike," Ricardo replied.

"Aidan, can you keep the weather cool and calm for the day? For the whole day?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Richard, are you really think about-?" Ellen asked.

Richard nodded.

"That's exactly what we will do Ellen."

Ellen gasped. Her eyes lighted up. She ran to Richard and hugged him.

"Thank you Richie! Thank you so much!" she said.

"Hey Helen is our sister too," Richard replied, "We are a family and a family always stands together."

"What are you planning Richard?"

"Something," Richard said and paused for an effect, "interesting."

Two hours later.

Jamie was sipping his coffee when he heard some sound from outside. He went to check what was wrong. The scene before him shook him up.

The children had set up something like a wooden stage in the garden and a shed to cover them from the sun. They had spread a carpet on the stage and in a corner a whole pile of food, amounting to the height of the shed. The children were sitting cross legged on the stage. They were peeling off bananas and eating them.

"What are you guys doing?" Jamie asked in bewilderment.

"We are on a hunger strike, papa," Ellen replied from a microphone.

"What?!"

Jamie was obviously shocked and confused.

"Yes. We know that Uncle Scott is going to send Helen to boarding school," Richard said.

"And we will not let it happen."

"What are you talking about?" Jamie asked.

"I heard everything in the morning, papa," Ellen said, "And Uncle Scot is being unfair. He did not even talk to Helen about it and took a decision that will surely hurt her!"

"It's not what you think. And why are you eating continuously?"

"We're on a strike hunger," Ricardo replied, "The cookies inside are white because of funger."

"Funger?" Aidan asked.

"Fungus," Ellen explained then turned to Jamie, "We are on a hunger strike, papa. We will keep eating till we get hospitalised and even after that. We will never be hungry. We will raise the bills. We will eat so much that you won't be able to afford the expenses. You just watch, papa. Tell Uncle Scott that this is what we are going to do."

"But-"

"No papa. You will _not_ argue with us. Just tell Uncle Scott."

Jamie's eyes went blank. He nodded and then went inside to tell Scott about the children's plans.

After about five minutes Scott and Jamie came out. Jamie looked fine now, he was angry that Ellen had used her powers on him.

"What are you all doing?" Scott yelled at them.

"You cannot send Helen to boarding school!" Ellen said, "Not against her wish anyway!"

"Mind your language, Ellen," Scott said quietly. His voice sounded dangerous though.

"Uncle Scott, don't you know how much Helen loves you?" Ellen continued, "Do you remember, when you had fallen ill last month then Helen had sat by your bedside for two whole nights, not sleeping for continuous fifty hours! She did what children don't bother doing for their parents now-a-days! Children desert their parents when they get old or ill; they just have to do what they want to do. But Helen had given up her golden opportunity of participating in young journalists' competition so that she could be there for _you_! You can't just do this to her!"

"She's a good girl, Uncle," Richard said, his mouth full of an apple, "It's very rare to find such a nice child. She has the right to joke around a little bit, you know?"

"And till you withdraw you decision, we will keep sitting on this hunger strike! There will be no hunger for us!" Aidan roared.

With that he grabbed a cake and started eating it. Ricardo picked up a leaf and put it in his mouth.

"Why did you do that?" Richard asked.

"So if anything happens to me after eating this leaf then Uncle Scott will take back his word," Ricardo replied, "If he doesn't then he and I will play with sword!"

Jamie's eyes widened at this. Scott stepped back.

"At least listen to what I have to say-" he said.

"No Uncle Scott," Ellen said, "We will not listen to you. We will only listen to you if you say that you are not sending Helen to boarding school!"

"Fine!" Scott replied angrily, "Keep eating!"

"Scott, tell them the whole truth!" Jamie said.

"I won't and neither will you."

And with that he grabbed Jamie's arm and pulled him inside.

One hour later.

"I've eaten too much," Ricardo groaned, "I won't for a few days eat luch."

"Luch?" Richard asked.

"Lunch," Ellen explained.

"He's right. We can't go on eating Richard," Aidan said.

"We'll go to the doctor if we have to. That will certainly raise the expenses. But we will not stop," Richard said.

The children ate one grape at a time. They did not have the courage to eat more.

At that moment Helen came in from the front gate.

"What are you doing?!" she asked in shock as her eyes took in everything.

"Don't worry Helen," Ellen said, "Nobody is going to send you to boarding school."

"We are on hunger strike and Uncle Scott will have to give in," Aidan said.

Helen slapped her forehead.

"It's my fault that I didn't tell you. Papa sent me too deliver something and then I saw an injured child and I was escorting him to the hospital so I was delayed. But I never thought that you would do this!"

"Do you want to go to boarding school and live in a hostel?" Richard asked.

Before Helen could reply Scott came out.

"You tell them Helen. You tell them what I told you when you went to pack your bag."

Helen nodded and looked at the others.

"I'm going to a boarding school but I won't be living there. Papa wants me to attend the boarding school that is two kilometres away from our home. They are very strict and that's what he meant by instilling discipline. But otherwise, I will live in our own house."

Ellen closed her mouth instantly and lowered her head.

"I wanted to tell you as soon as possible but papa sent me on an errand," Helen continued, "I never thought you would sit on a _hunger strike._"

The boys turned towards Ellen, who seemed to be shrinking at that very spot.

"You heard only half the things this morning," Scott said, "And that's why you thought that I was sending her away."

Ellen laughed guiltily and knelt down. She grabbed one of the white cookies and took a bite.

"Ellen, that cookie was white because of fungus," Richard reminded her. She looked at him with shocked eyes and started coughing, trying to throw out the contents. It was not useful.

In the end she gave up and stood up.

"I'm sorry Uncle Scott. I really thought that…"

"It's alright," Scott sighed, "But you all took extreme measures. Hunger strike? You and Ricardo have to leave tomorrow, Ellen."

Ellen lowered her head again in shame and the others followed her example. They grabbed their ears and said, "Sorry Uncle Scott." Ricardo continues after that with, "And for your forgiveness thanks a lot."

When Matt, Pedro and Scarlett returned home and were told this story they could not believe it.

"Nice idea Ellen," Matt said, "Hunger strike."

"Lohan would have had recruited all four of you in his White Lotus Society," Scarlett said.

Ellen blushed.

She would _never_ sit on a hunger strike again.

* * *

**This was not very funny, I think. Please read and review. Thank you for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A New Story**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Power of Five series. I only the children and this plot.**

**Thank you readersally for your review on the previous chapter. I hope you like this one too.**

* * *

**_Day 5_**

Helen had packed all her bags the previous day and now she just sat in front of the TV. She had packed Scott's bags too and her father was really surprised by this.

There was nothing good on the television. Helen angrily switched it off. She had not been liking anything since morning.

Uncle Pedro and Ricardo had left at half past six in the morning. She couldn't even say goodbye properly. She closed her eyes and reflected at the memory.

Four hours ago.

Ricardo and Pedro were standing at the main gate. Pedro was hugging each of the Five and the children dearly. Scott had grabbed Ricardo and pulled him in a tight embrace.

"Control your poetry," he advised, "But do not give up on them."

Ricardo beamed at his Uncle Scott and hugged him again. He embraced Uncle Jamie briefly and cuddled up to Aunty Scarlett and Uncle Matt. And suddenly he burst into tears and sat down on the ground.

"What happened?" Scarlett asked as she kneeled down. He hugged her and said, "How will I do poetry about you now? My school friends call me chow-chow!"

Scarlett smiled uncomfortably and said, "We'll talk over the phone, Ricky. We'll hear your Uncle Matt and Aunty Scarlett poems then. And we will come to meet you soon. I promise."

"Rilly?" Ricardo asked, "Uncle Matt, dad did call me silly!"

"Really Ricardo. How can I lie to you?" Scarlett said. Ricardo wiped away his tears and stood up.

He hugged Richard who said, "You are the best, Ricardo. I will miss you."

Ricardo whispered something in his ears, but Helen could not hear him.

The boy then embraced each of the other children.

Helen pulled him into a bear hug. "I'm sorry for being so mean to you," she said, "But don't forget me. We are the best friends, right?"

"Yes we are best friends. And do not apologise or make amends."

Helen smiled at him and handed him a handmade card quietly.

"Never forget me Ricardo. And I will always remember you as well."

Ricardo's eyes were bleak at this and he hugged her and Ellen again.

Pedro signalled to him to come with him. Ricardo cast one look at them and then sped away in the taxi.

Present time.

Helen was really sad. She was so used to Ricardo that she couldn't bear his absence.

Ellen came down from the stairs followed by Richard and Aidan.

Helen smiled at Aidan and lifted him. It reminded her of their first meeting. Her smile became wider.

"So…you are leaving today," Richard said. Helen smiled at him sadly.

"You know, I was reluctant to come here. But now…I just don't want to leave you guys. You really are my family. You are all my brothers. I don't know how I will live without you all…"

"I have set up a new site," Ellen chimed in, "Only we can use it though. We can talk to each other through video conference and we can do many other things on it."

"What is its name?" Aidan asked.

"The New Power of Five," Ellen replied.

Richard grinned. "Our parents will sue us for that."

"Ok then we will let them use it too."

Helen reached out for her backpack and took out two handmade cards from it. She gave one to Richard and one to Aidan.

"So that you don't forget Ellen and me. We made it together."

The boys smiled at the cousins and Richard took all three of them in a tight embrace.

When the Tyler twins and their daughters were ready to leave, the Freemans couldn't help shedding a few tears.

Matt took Scott aside.

"Scott, we have been friends for twenty years but I have never said this to you before. I am really sorry for not trusting you back then. I am very sorry for hurting you. I didn't want to, Scott. Just, please forgive me."

"No Matt. You forgive me. I have been so bad to you. I should not have behaved that way. I…"

Matt embraced Scott suddenly. It surprised the other man but he returned it. And suddenly Jamie jumped on top of them and took them in a bear hug.

"Friends at last?"

"Best of friends," the two men replied together.

The children, in the meanwhile, hugged Aunty Scarlett lovingly. When Scott and Jamie got in the car Helen and Ellen smiled at the boys. They got in the car and it sped away.

Helen kept on waving from the window till they had disappeared. She withdrew her hand and sighed.

She would never forget her friends. They were a part of her now; she would never forget them. She would remember them till her last breath.

* * *

**At last my first story comes to an end. I cannot say how happy I am. But I am also sad because now I won't get to meet my characters. I will miss them a lot. I hope you enjoyed reading it because I certainly enjoyed writing it.**

**There are some people I want to thank. Firstly, thank you TheSixthGatekeeper for encouraging me to start this story. Secondly, thank you readersally for reviewing every single chapter. That was really nice of you.**

**Thank you TheSixthGatekeeper, CharmedGatekeeper, Zintfall, Guest, nightcall16, elma and lolk for your reviews. They really encouraged me to write and you all were so nice to me and my story.**

**So that's all. Good bye and have a nice day. And do not forget to review.**


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